TOURING BIKE BUYERS GUIDE

WHAT’S IN A ? 11 1x DRIVETRAIN ROUNDUP 20 TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR 28 OWN ROUTE

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10 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 ILLUSTRATION BY LEVI BOUGHN TOURING BIKE BUYERS GUIDE

you’re looking for a new touring bike buying advice in a more theoretical way. We in 2020, you’re in luck — a proliferation believe that the more cyclists can name their IF of highly capable rides offers options needs and understand the numbers that work that would have been pure fiction even a for them, the more empowered they are to get few years ago. But with that flood of options the right bike whether that’s with a helping comes a head-spinning (and sometimes head- hand from the pros at their , a scratching) granularity in bikes called things direct-to-consumer order over the internet, like X-Road and All-Road and Endurance Road or even a parking lot Craigslist transaction. and Adventure and Gravel. Knowledge is (buying) power. While the naming might be silly, what’s But with the sheer volume of suitable new certain is the bike industry has come around bikes available, for 2020 we’re playing it very, to what touring cyclists have known for years: very straight. If you’re shopping for a new namely, that tire clearance, a little luggage bike this year, we’ve compiled what we think capability, and comfortable geometry make for are some of the very best across a number bikes that do anything and go anywhere. The of categories to suit the dyed-in-the-wool 23mm tire is nearly dead, and we’re happy to traditionalist, the new-school bikepacker, and pedal a nice 47mm with room left for fenders even the battery assisted. You might not right over its grave. find the perfect bike for you in the next If you’ve been reading Adventure Cyclist eight pages, but just like a good for a few years, you know that for the last few bike tour, you’ve got to “Cyclists Travel Guide” issues, we’ve tackled start somewhere.

BY ALEX STRICKLAND

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 11 LONG-DISTANCE LOADED TOURING

UNDER $2,000 OVER $2,000

All the classics fall into this category, proving that Whether it’s a full-custom dream bike or just a little more of the old adage of “fast, cheap, or good — pick two” is a a Gucci build on an otherwise economical frameset, $2,000 perfect fit for the archetypal touring rig. Spoiler alert: can buy quite a lot of . Of course, it’s not unusual they ain’t fast. What they are is a ton of bike for low- anymore for top-end performance bikes (including touring to mid-four figures. Budget an even two grand, and performance) to crest five figures, so two grand is a relative you can walk out of the shop with bike, racks, and bargain. But for many, it’s the mark where your non- bags as ready for the Katy Trail as for Kazakhstan. friends might start scrunching up their noses at the notion. We’ve reviewed every model here (most more than once) in a long-form Road Test, which you can find at Jones Plus LWB adventurecycling.org/archive. Jeff Jones has long preached the gospel of big tires, but his swooping framesets and truss forks were the stuff of Fuji Touring dreams for most. Well, even though he’s had more traditional No doubt about what this bike is built for, the diamond frames and bikes on offer for a few years now, his Touring is as classic as they come. Sporting rim recent foray into overseas production to bring complete (Fuji dropped the disc variant last year, Jones bikes down to the price point of the masses is rapidly but they can probably still be found on showroom spreading the good word. The LWB (long wheel base) can be floors), a 3x9 drivetrain from Shimano, bar-end ordered with big 29 x 2.8in. knobby or smooth tires, features shifters, and an included rear rack, this Reynolds- Jones’s own beloved H-Bar, and is ready to go without a wait –framed option is no-frills and a heckuva for just a hair over $2,000. bargain for a new bicycle at $900. Co-Motion Deschutes Surly Long Haul/Disc Trucker For essentially the price of a typical frameset from the Eugene, For 1,350 bucks ($200 more for discs), this is Oregon–based Co-Motion, you can buy the Deschutes as a probably the bike you think of when you close your complete build. The steel frame is still made right there in eyes and dream about a long tour. Bosses galore, 3x9 Oregon, and the paint job is still as deep and glossy as anything shifting, variable wheel sizes depending on frame from Co-Motion (there’s only one color per year — Ivy Green size — 26in. for smaller sizes, 700c for bigger — and for 2020), but at a fraction of what you might expect for Made tubes of Surly’s own 4130 chromoly, the Truckers in America. Using road shifters and a super-compact double remain stalwart options not just for their reputation mated to a cassette and rear derailer, if for bombproof reliability, but also for their one of the five standard sizes works for you, this might be the incredibly wide availability thanks to being owned best value out there for a traditional touring rig. by distribution giant QBP — most any bike shop in America can order one for you. Tout Terrain Tanami Xplore If you want your gears out of the elements, there are two Trek 520 (main) choices for the bicycle traveler: Rohloff’s Speedhub or Trek’s longest- model (introduced in 1983) a Pinion gearbox. Both very German, both with forumfuls of got a big update in 2018, which moved the venerable proponents and skeptics. Both pricey. Both, it must be said, 520 squarely into the modern age. Unlike the other very cool. We’ve spent a bit more time aboard Pinions in the legs of the touring bike stool from Surly and Fuji, last few years and have been impressed by the 12- and 18-speed Trek spec’d brifters (combined / levers) versions, and that’s what we’d put on a Tanami Xplore from on the new model while hanging onto the classic Tout Terrain. It’s going to set you back about five grand 3x9 drivetrain. With disc brakes, included front and depending on spec, but it’s a lifelong bike with Dedacciai steel rear racks, and the aforementioned brifters, the 520 tubing, integrated rear rack, dynamo power, and a heckuva costs nearly double the Fuji at $1,680 but offers a reliable drivetrain. Prefer Rohloff? The standard Tanami runs much more modern package. just about the same price with gears in the hub.

12 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 ack mounts, triple , burly steel tubing, and dropbars, ROAD TEST R that’s the tried-and-true list of HALL OF FAME ingredients for a round-the-world– capable touring bike. Bolt on some racks, hang four panniers and a handlebar bag, and pedal to the edge of the map. Full-blown touring bikes don’t see the kind of annual “updates” that iterate other bike categories with a steady stream of incremental (and arguably unnecessary) changes. Generally that means touring bikes have stayed affordable — in some cases, models haven’t changed price for half a decade while enjoying a rising tide of component quality. But don’t be fooled by a static spec sheet. The recipe for what works when fully loaded still holds up. You can’t go wrong with the trusty pickup Co-op Cycles ADV 1.1 truck of the cycling world. Truth be told, this whole category is something of a Hall of Fame — when you want touring to play the hits, this is the set list. But if the 520, Trucker, and Touring make up three-fourths of the Mount Rushmore of touring bikes, the fourth titan must be the Novara … er, Co-op Cycles ADV 1.1. Sure, it lacks the instant recognizability of the Novara Radonee nameplate that it supplanted, but the rebranded ADV has all the same touchpoints — 3x9, bar-cons, racks fore and aft — plus some big upgrades like TRP’s excellent Hy/Rd cable-actuated hydraulic disc brakes. At $1,400, the cornerstone of the outdoor retail behemoth’s expanded bicycle line still delivers. CURVEBALL

Brompton How far can you ride a Brompton? We “Some bikes in this price range suffer from assumed we knew the answer to this question when our time aboard the marketing-induced multiple-personality Lilliputian bike was limited to parking lot loops. Commute to work in the city? disorder. 'I’m a road bike! No, a gravel bike! A Sure. Multiday journeys? Adorable, but commuter? Cross-country tourer? Just buy me, no. After a summer putting in some miles though, we’ve seen the light. for the love of God! I’ll do anything, I swear!' You’re going to have to pack lightish, but with a little creativity this clever Not the ADV 1.1. It knows its capabilities and folder will reward the minimalist with the kind of travelability that opens up, limitations. It will perform specific functions well, everything. Plus, if bicycle travel and balk at others. It may be represented by itself invites human interaction, you can safely multiply that by tenfold aboard a the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.” Brompton — you will make new friends. – Patrick O’Grady, August/September 2018

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 13 LIGHT TOURING

UNDER $2,000 OVER $2,000

Salsa Journeyman RLT 9 Steel New in 2018, the Journeyman sloughs off convention as soon as Best known for going all in on the craze in you see it — those fat tubes could only be aluminum. Available the mountain bike world more than a decade in a huge number of configurations in both 700c and 650b ago, Niner makes a mighty fine adventure bike wheel sizes (and lots of flat or dropbar builds), the Journeyman in the RLT 9 Steel. There’s a more affordable family starts at $950 for Shimano Claris and climbs to $1,500 aluminum version, but with Reynolds 853 wearing SRAM Apex. Anywhere along the line, though, you’ll tubing, the brand’s full carbon fork with rack find rack and fender mounts, wide-range gearing, good tires and fender mounts, and a plethora of build from Teravail and WTB, and an incredibly versatile bike that options, it’s the steel version you want. Race might be aimed at the “entry level” part of the market but Dirty Kanza and then ride home, wherever would make a huge range of cyclists very happy. that may be. Starting at $2,700 with a Shimano GRX 400 build. Marin Nicasio Though Marin has some extremely good (and good-value) Moots Routt 45 bikes in the full-blown loaded touring and bikepacking Yeah, fine, we’re projecting here — this is a segments, it’s the Nicasio that anchors the brand’s broad dream bike (specifically, it’s one of ours). From “Beyond Road” bikes. Simple, steel, and smart, the Nicasio the perfect welds to the titanium cockpit parts, starts at 800 bucks with entirely functional if unspectacular there isn’t much to dislike about a Moots, except parts and trim. The top of the line is more than three times its ability to make your wallet superleggera. as much, but has a dropper post, hydros, SRAM Rival With complete builds starting at nearly $8,000, components, and thru-axles. But you probably don’t need all this isn’t the sort of bike you buy twice, but that and Marin knows it, otherwise why would the low-end the Steamboat Springs brand wears high-end Nicasios be so darn good? components, U.S.-made we love from Astral and White Industries, and for a few bucks Fuji Jari more (and what’s a few more at this point?) Fuji’s pricing can make even industry insiders do a double-take. you can have the company’s YBB softtail rear A disc brake–equipped, well, anything, for $700? That doesn’t suspension. Plus, it looks like a Moots, which is sound right, and yet the entry-level Jari is just that. The family the nicest compliment we can pay a bike. tops out at a little over two grand, and a carbon prototype was displayed atop a trade show plinth last year, but it’s the two Open U.P. models for less than $1,000 that offer the most intrigue. When Look around the industry today and you’ll see asked for a good first bike for the bike travel curious, the Jari is plenty of bikes with dramatically drooping always one of our first suggestions. driveside chainstays to create a compact gravel bike with clearance for a lot of tire. But it was GT Grade the Swiss wizards at Open who pioneered Okay, fine, it’s right at $2,000 and we just reviewed it last what’s become a kind of foundational gravel issue, but bear with us for a second. A carbon bike from a big bike in the carbon U.P. Run up to a 2.1in. brand with lowrider mounts and hydraulic discs? Yeah, it’s a mountain bike tire or keep things skinny, screaming deal if you’re in the market for a bike that could this is a bike whose reputation outstrips its propel you to the front of a charity ride or smooth out the considerable starting price ($2,900 for the miles — and if you don’t think carbon can be smooth, you frameset). Whether you knew it or not, this is should look closely at those whippet seatstays — between the gravel bike that deserves a lot of credit for B&Bs, it’s hard to find a better deal. starting the category.

14 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 hat qualifies as a light touring bike? We have no idea — we’ve ROAD TEST W seen carbon road bikes with little OF more than a rain shell and a credit card HALL FAME stuffed into a top tube bag and stylish commuters pulling multiday duty from an overstuffed front basket. In today’s market of adventure and gravel bikes, there is a huge spectrum of bikes for riders who spend the vast majority of their saddle time on day rides but like to tour once or twice a year. Our advice: the vast majority of people will be happier aboard one of these versatile rides than a full-blown touring bike.

CURVEBALL Specialized Diverge Beginning at $1,100 and climbing to $10,000(!!), the Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey Diverge family from Specialized may not have been We’re not entirely sure how to classify the first category-blurring bike, but it’s the one that this chunky carbon combo from changed the most minds. We regularly hear from Colorado, but when we saw a fully readers who have customized their Diverges to a loaded model roll into Adventure nearly unrecognizable degree in search of some Cycling HQ last summer, we took niche need and from bike travelers who now believe notice. With a frame that tips the in a “quiver killer.” Bottom line, this is a platform scales at a race-ready three pounds and that can toe the start line or take off cross-country. build options that start with Shimano’s And starting a bit under the $2,000 mark, completes mid-level GRX group and climb from feature the Future Shock, 10mm of travel under there, this is a Tour Divide race–worthy the that doesn’t sound like it will make a big ride that should be equally at home difference but is an absolute game changer. exploring Forest Service roads on the weekends. Not quite a dropbar " ... The second divergence (get it?) from many mountain bike, not really a gravel racer, and surely not a road machine, the Trail other gravel bikes is the exceptionally low Donkey might not be right for you, but bottom bracket.” if it is, it’s really right. – Nick Legan, April 2019

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 15 BIKEPACKING

UNDER $2,000 OVER $2,000

Salsa Timberjack Trek 1120 “What mountain bike should I buy?” is the question. Normally, a laundry list of proprietary parts would More often than not, “Salsa Timberjack” is the answer. send us running for the hills. We want swapability, Great value, modern-but-not-silly geometry, smart versatility, uhh, already-in-the-toolbox fixability? The spec, and versatility make the Timberjack, and we’re 1120 from Trek is none of that with an alloy frame and sorry for this in advance, a jack of all trades (really very carbon fork sporting some very unusual mounts for sorry). The frame is aluminum, which makes sense the bike’s bespoke racks. And while we can see how with 27.5 x 2.8in. tires underneath, and is ready for that might leave you high and dry one day, it’s worth three water bottles or any assortment of strapped-on the risk because they’re so smart. Borrowing plenty bags. Buy the SLX build with 27.5+ wheels for $1,400 of cues from the brand’s Stache 29+ line (a favorite (dropper post included) and never look back. of our editor), the 1120 offers a special combination of unloaded performance and firewood-strapping Surly Bridge Club capability for $2,650. The redesigned Bridge Club wearing knobby tires (as opposed to the city spec) is another jack of all trades, a Tumbleweed Prospector king of multiple surfaces, a winner of hearts. Okay, fine, This off-road touring bike was built around a Rohloff we don’t actually know how to play bridge, but this is an from Day One. Owner Daniel Molloy wanted something extremely good bike at a great value. For $1,200 you get very specific when he founded Tumbleweed, and a platform that’s ready for a trip to the pub or down the he’s got it in the Prospector. It’s offered as a frameset Divide. SRAM’s SX Eagle group pushes the benefits of for $1,450, a frameset plus Rohloff kit for $2,700, a super wide-range 1x drivetrain even further down the or a complete build for $4,300. The Tumbleweed is price scale, and the WTB hoops and tires are ready for most comfortable wearing 27.5+ rubber and some a lot of surfaces, even if Surly missed the mark by not nice sweeping flat bars like those from Jones or springing for tubeless-ready rubber from the factory. Tumbleweed’s own brand-new Persuaders.

Bombtrack Beyond Jamis Dragonslayer Sliding in at the price limit, the Beyond is a 29in. Jamis was out front with the now-common 27.5+ tire wheeled dropbar bikepacking machine in the mold size when the brand brought out its Dragonslayer at pioneered by the Salsa Cutthroat (see next page) and the 2015 Interbike trade show. Sure, 29+ had shown Fargo. Steel framed, festooned with mounting points, up here and there, but alongside bikes like Rocky and featuring a SRAM 2x10 drivetrain cribbed straight Mountain’s groundbreaking full-suspension Sherpa, it from mountain bikes of not that long ago, the Beyond was a harbinger of the trend to come. Lucky for Jamis, is right at home on dirt with tubeless 2.0in. tires from a Reynolds 520 steel adventure platform has aged quite the showroom floor, but a swap to slicks would offer a well, and the top-spec S1 offers a lot of bike for $2,500, competent and comfortable on-road touring machine including a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain and Shimano as well. With a rapidly improving distribution network, hydraulic brakes, a favorite spec combo among Bombtracks should be showing up at more shops near Adventure Cyclist editors. you soon.

16 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 ant to get an argument started? Ask around about the origins ROAD TEST W of bikepacking. Framebags OF appeared in Sears & Roebuck catalogs HALL FAME more than 100 years ago, and touring in the vast majority of the world happens on dirt. So is it luggage style or surface or tire size that pushed the needle from “touring” to “bikepacking?” We’re not sure, but for the sake of this buyers guide, these bikes are best suited to off- pavement touring. And for the record, National Geographic editor Noel Grove, who worked with our cofounders on their Hemistour article in the magazine in 1973, seems to have coined the term.

Salsa Cutthroat A bike designed to be ridden long distances off-road, and CURVEBALL fast, the Cutthroat proudly wears the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route under its down tube, and for good reason. Kona Honzo The new-for-2020 model features Salsa’s latest vibration- Sure, there are limitations even soft reducing frame tech, the addition of a 52cm size, and a luggage can’t overcome, but if your slightly longer and slacker geometry. Make no mistake, the ideal bikepacking trip contains a little Cutthroat is the Baja 1000 racer of the bikepacking world, more shred than bed, the Honzo is the but if you want to go fast, it can’t be beat. It starts at $2,700 bike for you. A 29er hardtail (available with SRAM Apex, but the $3,300 version with Shimano’s in steel, alloy, and carbon versions) with GRX 600 2x drivetrain strikes us as the ideal build. progressive geometry and components tuned toward the pure “Clearly Salsa is paying attention to the needs end of the spectrum, the Honzo and bikes like it (Ibis DV9, Santa Cruz of bikepackers and touring cyclists. Although Chameleon, and Diamondback Sync’r Carbon) offer a one-bike solution to the the Cutthroat lies on the racy end of the mountain biker who wants to do some cycling spectrum, any rider can appreciate its overnights and maybe a bit more. light weight and comfortable ride.” – Nick Legan, May 2018

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ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 17 ow can you find the right if you’re not looking for a bicycle RECUMBENT, H at all — perhaps a recumbent trike is in your future? Or maybe your bike tastes trend toward the tandem? Are you looking for a “tailwind on demand” to match speeds TANDEM, EBIKE with a touring partner or just want to get a lift so you can arrive each night a little less spent? You’re in luck because the Golden Age of Touring Bikes extends beyond the

UNDER $2,000

Catrike Eola A recumbent tadpole trike has a few advantages when it OVER $2,000 comes to manufacturing — namely, the adjustable boom means you only need one frame size — but Catrike’s Cruzbike Q45 ability to make a $2,000 trike in the U.S. is still an The suspended Q45 from Cruzbike is going to get some achievement. The Florida-based brand has long been questions — the brand’s front-wheel drivetrain doesn’t known for speed and quality, but with the Eola’s launch look like anything most cyclists have ever seen. But that last year, they offer an entry price point too. With 20in. unique drivetrain configuration is what gives Cruzbikes wheels, a 1x drivetrain, and BB7 brakes, its spec should their reputation as excellent climbers by offering more look somewhat familiar to the touring cyclist, even leverage than you might get on other recumbents. if the gear range is a little on the high side for heavy Throw on the available rear rack and put the 26 x 1.75in. loads. Still, if you’re on the fence and value domestic tires on the tarmac. A benefit of the Cruzbike design is production, the Eola gets a long look. (relatively) easy packability, thanks to the fact that half the frame is effectively a swingarm. Aventon Pace 500 We haven’t ridden the Aventon, but it’s slim pickings for TerraTrike Rambler E.V.O. eBikes under two grand and the non-assisted Aventons Electric assist continues to trickle into more and more we’ve seen have impressed with their quality for the models of all kinds of machines, but TerraTrike’s dollar. You only get an advertised range of 30 miles at Rambler E.V.O. was one of the first when we reviewed this price, so plan accordingly, but if you’re looking for it in 2017. The current model features a Bosch motor a commuter and a little boost to hit overnight escape mounted in the “bottom” bracket at the crankset. velocity, the Pace 500’s rack mounts and upright With a 400 watt-hour (wH) battery, the Rambler commuter-style geometry should allow you to dip a toe E.V.O. essentially matches one of the most common into the electrified world without breaking the bank. configurations in the eBike world today and should be good for reasonable touring range (though longer KHS Milano trips will still necessitate a spare) and provide excellent Yeah, it’s $2,100, but you try to find a reputable tandem reliability. It’s not cheap at $4,500, but if you’re looking under two grand. (Seriously, give it a try, and let us for industry standard e-assist on a trike, this is it. know if you succeed!) As you’d expect in a bicycle built for two, tandems command a higher price than a daVinci Designs Tailwinds comparable single, which is why KHS’s Milano offers Riders looking for a unique pedaling experience together an intriguing entry point. Made from aluminum and have long sought daVinci Designs bikes for their ability sporting a triple drivetrain, the KHS can take racks to coast independently. With the addition of a Shimano and fenders, features disc brakes with monster 203mm STEPS E8000 , the Tailwinds suddenly rotors to slow things down, and could easily be geared a becomes a sort of ultimate tandem touring machine. little lower for heavier loads. And while KHS might not The folks at daVinci tell us that the demand for electric be known for their graphics, they are known for great assistance is skyrocketing and the $9,000 price tag isn’t a alloy frames at a great price. deterrent — after all, it’s two bikes in one!

18 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 traditional. Anecdotally, the recumbent trike market is exploding (and laid-back ROAD TEST two-wheelers remain popular), e-assist OF technology well suited for bicycle travel has HALL FAME arrived in every category, and a range of price points, styles, and configurations are available to suit pretty much anyone. Never tried a recumbent or an eBike? The odds have never been better that there’s a dealer stocking some near you.

CURVEBALL

HASE Pino Is it a tandem or a recumbent — or a recumbent tandem? All three, and Riese & Müller Delite GT none of them, the recumbent/upright As lithium-ion batteries increase capacity in the same combo offered by the HASE Pino line is size and motors get more efficient, range anxiety a unique configuration (fans of Bilenky around eBikes will steadily decrease. But we’re not will recognize it) that’s just right for quite to the long-range battery-powered future just some. By placing the riders’ heads yet, and the Germans at Riese & Müller attacked the close to one another, conversation is problem with a “more is more” mentality. Just put easy, and no one’s view is obstructed. another battery on it! What they created was the We’ve never ridden one and have a few Delite GT, a very expensive ($7,200), fully suspended, questions about handling and weight twin-battery eBike that combines a Teutonic eye for distribution when fully loaded, but for detail and a little brute force to solve a problem. Today the right tandem pair, there’s not much the Delite GT only features a single battery, but the else like it. twin power pack lives on in the $8,200 Superdelite, which offers a massive 1,000wH of power. Tern GSD Okay, one more. The Tern “Get Stuff Done” uses the same twin-battery approach to dealing with range that “Bikes like the Delite GT show that long- Riese & Müller favor, but the GSD is a distance touring is possible using current bike built for utility. Load up the kids, the groceries, the firewood, whatever, technology, but the motor and battery create top off the batteries (400 and 500wH, respectively), and you’re rolling for a vicious cycle of increasing weight that then up to 150 miles. Or max out this 20in. wheeled cargo bike’s 400 lbs. capacity, requires extra batteries to extend range.” pop it into turbo mode, and wonder – Nick Legan, April 2018 why you ever needed a .

SHOPPING FOR A RECUMBENT? You need to know your X-Seam, a measurement to determine sizing in a reclined position. Sit upright against a wall at a 90° angle and measure from the bottom of your heels to the wall. Note: some brands suggest leaning on a board angled at roughly 60° and taking the measurement from the edge of the board instead of 60° against a wall. Consult your dealer or preferred brand!

X-Seam

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 19 WHAT’S IN A WHEEL?

Jude Gerace founded Sugar Wheel Works, a studio that focuses solely on handbuilt bicycle wheels, in Portland, Oregon. Each wheel is designed with the rider in mind, hand-tensioned, and finished to the highest standards. Jude sold the company to Breadwinner Cycles in 2019 and continues to support the efforts of the new owners. RACHEL MEYER PETER WHITE Peter White has been in the business since 1975 and has owned and operated Peter White Cycles, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, since 1988. He specializes in wheelbuilding and touring and commuting bikes.

BY DAN MEYER

20 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 hen it comes to bicycles, frames get W all the attention. But without the quiet competence of wheels, we’d all be just be sitting in place, going nowhere. If bicycling is magic, wheels are the spell. Wheels — good wheels — are especially important for touring cyclists, who subject Mike Varley their rigs to heavy loads over built his first set long distances, often in rough of wheels in 1989 terrain and bad weather. And and put them to whether you’re riding across the ultimate test the country, around the world, by riding cross- country. The wheels or just to the next town over, are still rolling on chances are good that you’ll that same bike, a find yourself a long way from now infrequently a bike shop, so you can’t ridden 1984 Salsa. afford to have wheels popping Varley builds every wheel that leaves and going out of true his shop, Black at the drop of a Da Brim. What Mountain Cycles in you need are wheels you can Point Reyes Station, rely on. California. Years ago, things were simpler. If you wanted a reliable wheelset for your Schwinn Paramount, you strolled into JOHN WATSON JOHN your local bike shop and asked your friendly neighborhood wheelbuilder to lace up a pair with 36, 40, or 48 spokes. Done and done. But things have RACHEL MEYER Nick Sande changed: hubs are wider, rims has spent nearly are stronger, components of all three decades in the bike industry. kind are lighter, and the vast He’s been a majority of wheels today are professional assembled in factories. wheelbuilder for No longer the standard, Quality Bicycle hand-laced wheels are now Products, Knight Composites, and “artisanal,” and the discerning Sugar Wheel touring cyclist is left with Works. His other questions: is there any benefit favorite round anymore to wheels made things are cookies the old way? If you can save and cookies. a few hundred bucks buying off-the-shelf wheels made in a factory that churns out thousands of them, why would you pay more? For that matter, does the classic touring wheel with 36 or 40 spokes apply anymore? Can you get by with just 32, or even 28? And why are hubs so loud? To get some answers, I to a handful of professional wheelbuilders. our wheel needs will differ depending on whether to add strength is in the amount and/ you’re riding self-supported across the U.S., on an or gauge of the spokes.” So if we started Y expedition across Africa, or lightly loaded from one from a baseline of 32 spokes, Gerace hotel to another in western Europe. The more weight could prescribe 36-spoke wheels if the you’re carrying and the farther afield you’re traveling, rider tends to break wheels, or she could gauge the greater your need for heavy-duty wheels. But if you recommend sticking with 32 spokes but Refers to don’t plan on carrying as much weight, you can get away going with thicker butting. Or, if the a spoke’s thickness with lighter wheels for a sprightlier ride. rider is carrying especially heavy loads and tends to break stuff, she could lace him up a 36-spoke wheel with thicker butted spokes. The only member of the panel to spoke With that in mind, let’s start with the come out against 36-spoke wheels was Usually made question that is sure to get the most letters. Nick Sande. “Thirty-six spokes are not of either steel necessary for a strong, reliable touring or aluminum, spokes connect How many spokes do you need? wheel,” said Sande. “While this count may the hub to the “The more spokes, the better,” said have been the norm even a few years ago, rim Mike Varley. “An increase of four spokes rims and spokes have gotten stronger, (from 32) is a big increase in the number reducing the need for all those spokes.” of spokes sharing the load.” So 36 spokes Sande also pointed out that availability is rim will make for a stronger wheel, but you a concern for 36-spoke wheels. “With the The outermost also need to take into account what exception of eBike components (which part of the rim you’re lacing those spokes to. “You are overbuilt for safety), we’re becoming wheel, the could have a 36-spoke wheel, but if the limited in finding high-quality parts to rim provides a mounting rim is a 425g road rim and you’re using make 36-spoke wheels. Thirty-two is the platform for the something like a DT Revolution spoke, new 36. Twenty-eight is even acceptable tire that might not necessarily be as strong as in many cases.” Sande did admit that a 32-spoke wheel with a thicker butted 36-spoke wheels still have a place for spoke and a 500g rim,” Varley continued. especially heavy riders, tandems, cargo butted/ “But in general, a well-built touring bikes, and machine-built wheels. “The butting wheel with 36 spokes will be fairly extra spokes partially make up for the Unlike straight- gauge spokes, trouble-free.” lack of build quality.” a butted spoke One of the benefits of talking with a So just in case you’re more confused has varying professional wheelbuilder versus pulling now than before I asked the question, thickness along something off the shelf is that people who let’s recap. According to our panel, if you its length. A build wheels for a living tend to think want a strong, reliable set of wheels for single-butted spoke is thicker holistically instead of focusing on a single touring, you can’t go wrong with 36 spokes. at the hub end detail like spoke count. “With technology That said, there are a lot more factors to and thinner advancements, we can rethink the whole consider when planning a wheelset for along the rest wheel setup and customize solutions,” said your touring bike, and if you don’t plan of its length. A Jude Gerace. “The variables to consider to carry much weight and if you’re pretty double-butted spoke is thicker are the width of the rim, the weight of easy on gear, you could get by just fine with J-bend at either end the rim, the depth of the rim, when it fewer than 36. A spoke with an and thinner in was manufactured, the size of the tire, elbow where it the middle. A circumference of the rim, rider weight, What kind of spokes should you get? meets the hub triple-butted where and how the rider is carrying It may surprise you to learn that spoke has — you straight-pull guessed it — additional weight, and how rowdy the there’s more to choosing spokes than A spoke with no three different rider is on their bike and where they plan silver or black. Spokes differ in material elbow at the end thicknesses on riding.” (steel and aluminum), how they attach to that requires a along its length. Gerace went on to consider the the hub (J-bend or straight-pull), and compatible hub example of a 200-pound cyclist carrying their thickness (straight-gauge, butted, 40 pounds of gear on a bike with 700c or bladed). straight- wheels. “If the rider has a history of As to the material question, the vast gauge breaking wheels, I’d want to know majority of spokes out there are steel. Refers to more about that and then might amend Aluminum spokes tend to be proprietary, the uniform thickness along the prescribed wheel based on new such as from Industry Nine or Mavic, and the entire length information,” she said. “The best place therefore must be laced to the appropriate of a spoke

22 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 hub and rim. To keep things simple, we’ll bladed spokes (also known as aero spokes) stick to steel spokes. are plenty strong enough for touring hub The central part So should you get J-bend spokes or applications, but they’re expensive and of the wheel straight-pull? (Note that your hubs will their aerodynamic advantage won’t do consisting of an dictate which kind of spoke you can use: much good. “When you’ve got 70 pounds of axle, bearings, hubs made for straight-pull spokes will not stuff on your bike, it really doesn’t matter if and, in the work with J-bend, and vice versa.) you can descend a particular hill coasting at case of a rear mph mph hub, a freehub Sande mentioned that before you start 35 or 36 ,” said Peter White. mechanism and thinking about J-bend vs. straight-pull, you The consensus seems to be that butted driver need to make sure you get spokes made of spokes are the way to go. “Straight-gauge good stainless steel. is generally too stiff “I’m partial to J-bend and often made from spokes over straight- inferior grades of pull, although they’ll ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF stainless steel,” said both build into fine CARTRIDGE BEARING HUBS Sande. “Butted spokes wheels,” said Sande. go through an extra “J-bend is a little IS THAT, FOR MANY BRANDS, forging process that easier to build and adds some strength fatigue YOU CAN PULL OFF THE END Metal fatigue much more likely to the spoke,” said refers to the to be stocked at CAPS AND FREEHUB BODY, Varley. “A butted spoke tendency for bike shops if that EXPOSING THE BEARINGS FOR is more elastic so it is metal to break unfortunate situation more forgiving over after being arises where you need A QUICK CLEANING, WITHOUT rougher terrain. It repeatedly a replacement.” should have a longer flexed. Think of TOOLS. TALK ABOUT A BOON bending a spoon Varley noted that fatigue life when back and forth straight-pull spokes FOR FIELD SERVICEABILITY. properly built.” until it breaks. can be replaced Sande also without having to mentioned that butted remove a cassette or rotor, and that they spokes allow your wheelbuilder to choose generally have a longer fatigue life because from different thicknesses to better suit flange they don’t have a bend where they attach your specific needs. “Based on the varying The raised edge to the hub. “The benefit of the straight-pull thicknesses of the spokes, you can also at either end of the hub where spoke’s longer fatigue life can be closely tune your ride specifically based on the spokes matched with a J-bend spoke if the spoke your overall weight, riding style, wheel attach is cold set where it passes over the flange diameter, etc.,” Sande said. “2.0/1.8/2.0mm during the build process,” Varley said. is a good thickness, but one could also use cold setting Gerace touched on yet another tally a 2.0/1.65/2.0mm spoke if you’re looking Bending a spoke slightly (by hand for J-bend. “While straight-pull has for a more supple ride and your overall or with a tool) some advantages, J-bend is much more load weight is under 250 pounds.” where it leaves common and doesn’t suffer from rotating Butted spokes do cost more than straight- the hub flange so under load,” she said. gauge, though. Gerace mentioned that she it runs straight to Next, straight-gauge, butted, or bladed? would build with good straight-gauge spokes the rim. Every member of the panel agreed that if cost were an issue for the customer.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 23 What about rims? the cones, but if a cup wears, they are Rims too have changed a great deal often impossible to get.” With cartridge over the decades. The old box-section bearings, you can always bring extra rims of yesteryear are long gone. cartridges and have a shop replace them “Historically, rims were made from softer if need be. But because you need special alloy and were much narrower, which tools, like a bearing press, you might have necessitated 36- or 40-hole wheels for difficulty if you’re far afield. durability,” said Gerace. Modern rims are Sande mentioned that one of the stronger, lighter, and stiffer. benefits of cartridge bearing hubs is that, “The stiffer the rim, the fewer spokes for many brands, you can pull off the end you need,” said White. “For example, 30 caps and freehub driver, exposing the to 40 years ago, we didn’t have really stiff bearings for a quick cleaning, without tools. rims with deep V-section profiles. The Talk about a boon for field serviceability. V-section profile makes the rim extremely Without prompting, a couple members freehub stiff, which means that with a heavy load of our panel brought up freehub body driver on the wheels, you get material. “The most Also known less change in spoke important aspect of as a freehub body, a freehub tension with each choosing a hub for “IN GENERAL, THE QUICKER driver is the revolution of the wheel. touring is to choose one splined cylinder That means you get a THE PEDAL STROKE with a steel driver body onto which very strong wheel with and not one with an the cassette is fewer spokes.” ENGAGEMENT, THE LOUDER aluminum driver body,” mounted cartridge With modern rims, YOUR HUB WILL BE,” said Varley. “A steel bearing you can also go wider, driver will better handle As opposed to better support larger, SAID SANDE. “BUT THE the cassette cog spline to cup-and- high-volume tires, wanting to dig into the cone bearings, FREEWHEELING NOISE cartridge without adding a lot of driver.” Sande agreed. bearings are weight to the wheel. VARIES MORE FROM BRAND “Steel is the heaviest, preassembled, TO BRAND RATHER THAN toughest, most reliable, nonadjustable Hubs and least expensive freehub units that are Certain aspects material for freehub The mechanism pressed into the SYSTEM TO SYSTEM.” that drives the hub of your hubs will be bodies,” he said. determined by your One more thing wheel while pedaling and freehub cup-and- frame, such as the width, axle type (quick- to think about for hubs is the disengages for cone release or thru-axle), and brake type (disc design. Unless you’re touring on a fixie coasting bearing or rim). Everything else is up for grabs. or a (why?), your rear hub has Consists of a Most hubs come in one of two bearing an internal mechanism that allows you to series of ball flavors:cartridge or cup-and-cone. coast. This is called a freehub, and there bearings, in Cartridge bearings are taking over, but are a few different designs out there, but grease, rolling you can still find hubs with cup-and-cone the most common is the ratchet-and-pawl between a cup- shaped race and bearings, especially for rim-brake road mechanism. If you’ve ever used a ratchet a cone-shaped applications. There was some disagreement wrench, it’s pretty much the same thing. race among our panel members as to which kind Our panel members didn’t express of bearing is best for touring. partisanship toward any specific freehub “Cartridge bearings are simply design. Of the most common kinds of replaced when worn out,” said Varley. freehubs — ratchet and pawl, DT Swiss’s “This requires special tools to do the star ratchet, or Chris King’s Ring Drive, engagement job properly. Cup-and-cone hubs can which is similar to star ratchet — as long Refers to be easily serviced with simple cone as you’re getting a quality hub from a well- how quickly a freehub can go wrenches. A good cup-and-cone hub, like known manufacturer, chances are good from coasting those from Shimano, are probably sealed that it can handle the rigors of touring. to driving the better than most cartridge bearings.” But the panel had a few interesting things wheel. A lower For international travel, Gerace prefers to say about engagement. number in hubs with cup-and-cone bearings for their “I prefer a higher-engaging hub degrees, or a higher number easier serviceability. But White mentioned — it’s less stress on the wheel overall, in tooth count, that parts are more difficult to find. “With and under load the bike will climb and means quicker cup-and-cone, you can often replace accelerate from a stopped position engagement

24 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 easier,” said Gerace. “Engagement can be related to reliability in some cases, but it’s not necessarily true.” Sande said that high engagement is more important for off-road touring than on- road, but he also mentioned that you don’t want too little. “When you get to 20°, there is a tendency for your legs to wind up before the hub engages, which creates a spike in torque that can eventually lead to premature spoke fatigue and/or cogs digging into an aluminum freehub body.” Varley mentioned something to consider if you’re looking at a hub with a star ratchet design. “If using a star ratchet, go with the option that gives you the fewer number of ‘teeth’ instead of the higher number of teeth SELF Riverside rides? Check. Charming towns? that provide quicker engagement,” said Check. Local dining and quaint lodging? Varley. “The star ratchet with fewer GUIDED You got it! Perfectly planned, self-guided teeth has bigger interfaces and will handle touring loads better.” BIKE bike tours at YOUR pace. GAP, Erie Canal, Yet another thing to consider when TOURS Katy Trail and C&O Towpath. discussing hubs is noise. Those hubs you can hear from a half-mile away, the SPECIAL ADVENTURE ones that sound like an army of angry www.nibiketouring.com/aca cicadas? They tend to be premium hubs CYCLING MEMBER OFFER with high engagement. “In general, the quicker the pedal stroke engagement, the louder your hub will be,” said Sande. “But the freewheeling noise varies more from brand to brand rather than system to system.” Hub manufacturers have BICYCLE RIDE ACROSS caught on to the fact that, especially for mountain bikers, customers like noisy hubs. So while premium hubs tend to be loud, you can certainly find NEBRASKA inexpensive hubs that make a lot of noise. For that matter, if you prefer quiet hubs, you can find good hubs that are mostly silent. But for touring, especially if you’re going off the grid, the most important thing is to make sure that you can keep your hubs rolling. “I think that if you’re going to take a complicated hub requiring proprietary tools, it could lead to some frustrating moments, depending on where and how long you’re on the road,” said Gerace. “In general, it’s a good idea to know your equipment as best as possible before leaving on a tour. For me personally, I would take a higher- June 7–13, 2020 engaging hub that can be pulled apart REGISTER today | bran-inc.org with a hex wrench.”

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 25 Nipples all the options and customize a build to your nipple This is an easy one. There are two specific needs in a way that something off Connects the options for nipples: brass or aluminum. the shelf could never replicate. spoke to the rim I’ll let Peter White sum this up for you: But not everyone can afford handbuilt “Any wheelbuilder using aluminum wheels. For some, machine-built wheels nipples for touring wheels should are the only option. Luckily, our panel immediately retire and get a job stocking members have some suggestions. shelves at the local supermarket.” “If you had to do this on the cheap, look But seriously, without question, every for a name-brand spoke like DT Swiss or member of our panel voted in favor of Sapim,” said Gerace. “The spoke quality is brass nipples. Aluminum nipples will save infinitely better than an OEM spoke and will you a little bit of weight but at the cost make a big difference. If you stop at a shop of reliability. “BRASS! Always brass,” said for a check-over, make sure you or the shop Sande. “Aluminum has a shorter fatigue removes the tire and uses a tension meter.” life, and corrosion will eventually cause Sande agreed that if you’re going to buy them to crack, even after just three years.” machine-built wheels, it would be smart “It’s quite easy to round off the flats to include the cost of taking them to a on aluminum nipples when trying to get professional to be retensioned. But Varley enough tension to correct a warped rim,” noted that, at that point, you might as well said White. “Brass nipples are far better for spend the money on custom wheels. “A this, with only a small weight penalty. And machine-built wheel likely did not have brass nipples are less expensive.” the spokes stress-relieved during the build process,” he said. “That’s why the spokes Hand-laced or machine-built? pop and creak on the first ride — that’s This might be the toughest question. the spokes unwinding and settling into You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that their neutral state. The spokes weren’t set every member of the panel, wheelbuilders against the hub flange. There was likely no all, agreed that hand-laced wheels are the spoke prep used. To properly ‘retension’ a way to go. Nor should you be surprised to machine-built wheel, it almost needs to be find out that they emphasized that if you completely detensioned and rebuilt.” want good, long-lasting wheels, you should White noted that machine-built wheels spoke prep find a wheelbuilder who knows what make sense for inexpensive, mass-produced Either a they’re doing, not just any schmuck with bikes that won’t see many hard miles, but lubricant and/or a truing stand. “A poorly built handmade the machines just can’t meet the needs of thread-locking compound wheel is likely no better than a machine- touring cyclists. “For loaded touring, you used on spoke built wheel,” Varley said. (Machine-built in must have high tension, and the tension threads during this case refers to wheels mass produced must be even from spoke to spoke. If not, the build in factories using some combination of the lower-tension spokes will be losing and process. Every machines and human labor.) gaining tension with every revolution of the wheelbuilder has a spoke prep “Wheels that are handbuilt by a person wheel, resulting in breakage due to work that they swear who understands evenly tensioned hardening of the metal.” by. spokes, knows the optimal spoke tension tension Wheel in the sky keeps on turning Refers to for the spokes and rim selected, and uses a spoke’s a calibrated tensiometer will give you If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve tightness, the best results!” said Sande. “If you’re probably noticed that our panel members measured with investing in good quality parts, it makes don’t like to give out specific, prescriptive a teniometer in the most sense to have a qualified builder advice (aside from brass nipples, of kilograms force to bring those components up to their course). “It depends” is rarely a good maximum potential. Why waste pedal answer, but in the case of wheels — like strokes or money on a wheel that was so much else with cycling — your needs built to only 80 percent of its optimal are personal and unique. As unsatisfying tension and with spokes that aren’t evenly as it may be, the answer to the question tensioned, especially with a wheelset you’ll “What wheels do I need for touring?” be relying on in the middle of nowhere?” nevertheless is “It depends.” Gerace emphasized that the benefits go beyond just having a more reliable set of Dan Meyer is the Deputy Editor of Adventure Cyclist. wheels. A wheelbuilder can help you navigate

26 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 Bike in Colorado with us! August 10-17, 2020

seniorcycling.com [email protected] 608-606-4847

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 27 ver the last few years, single- chainring (known as 1x or “one-by”) O drivetrains have all but taken over 1x DRIVETRAIN in the mountain bike world. No, scratch that. They have completely taken over the mountain bike world. Not only that, ROUNDUP MEYER BY DAN but 1x has gained serious ground in other bike markets too: commuters, gravel bikes, and even road bikes are showing up with just one chainring. There are even road-specific, wide-range 1x drivetrains in the works. Before long, we’ll see 1x in the Tour de France peloton. Shimano XT M8000 How has the 1x drivetrain attained SPEEDS: 11 world domination? You can argue CASSETTE: $112 DERAILER: $100 SHIFTER: $60

Editor’s note: We’re excluding Shimano’s new 12-speed groups in this review mainly because we have yet to try them, but also because the cassettes require a new, proprietary freehub body called Micro Spline. (In general, we prefer cassettes that fit on the standard, ubiquitous Shimano HG freehub body, which is probably what you’ll find on your bike. Hence our review of the NX level of Eagle: unlike the more expensive Eagles, NX doesn’t require SRAM’s proprietary XD freehub body.) Shimano’s 11-speed 1x groups may be outdated now, but they’re still widely available in the aftermarket.

Shimano arrived a bit late to the 1x party. After sticking to its double-chainring guns while SRAM was on the second generation of its 1x 11-speed groups, Shimano finally brought the goods. The 11–46T cassette has a slightly smaller range than SRAM’s 11-speed 10–42T cassette — 418 percent versus 420 — but it fits on a standard freehub body. Shimano also spread out its gearing range more unevenly climbing the steeps (19 gear inches on 29 x 2.4in. tires), compared to SRAM: the range at the high end is more but I would spin out pretty quickly on descents, which closely spaced, with bigger jumps at the low end. The is less of an issue on dirt than on the road. The shifting jump to the lowest gear, from 37T to 46T, is a big one. was crisp, precise, and simple to tune, and I was always The long-cage XT derailer boasts an adjustable surprised at how easily I could shift into that big cog, clutch for chain retention and an on/off switch for even under load. Modern clutch derailers are a marvel removing the wheel. The trigger shifter is standard — I never once dropped the chain. And that double Shimano fare, with one surprise: the upshift lever can upshift feature? At first I thought it was a gimmick, but click through two gears at once. (You have to spring for then I found myself using it all the time. at least XT to get this feature; SLX doesn’t have it.) There are less expensive 1x groups out there, and I used the XT group for two seasons on a couple there are groups with bigger cassettes, but XT 11-speed of different mountain bikes, and on everything is a solid performer with a good gear range. If you’re in from trail riding to overnights to weekend trips. no hurry to shell out for a new hub just to use Shimano’s With a 30T chainring, I had a low enough gear for new 12-speed groups, XT won’t let you down.

28 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 that SRAM, the company that put the first viable 1x you have to spring for the fancy wireless version (if you drivetrain on the market, pursued some aggressive and need to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it). And successful marketing campaigns. Microshift’s Advent is available with any kind of shifter. But I think the real reason 1x has taken over is much One further caveat: if you’re willing to buy simpler: in fact, 1x is much simpler. One derailer, one aftermarket and mix and match brands, you can pair a chainring, and one shifter make for a drivetrain that is 1x drivetrain from Shimano or SRAM to your dropbar much easier to install, adjust, and keep in tune. And bike. Microshift sells bar-end and thumb shifters for now that 1x cassettes offer greater gear ranges, there’s SRAM and Shimano 12-speed derailers, and bar-end, little to no downside to going with a single-chainring thumb, and dropbar shifters for Shimano 11-speed. drivetrain. (Old-school triples still offer a bigger range, Gevenalle makes unique dropbar shifters — essentially but many of those gears are redundant, and whether thumb shifters mounted on brake levers — for Shimano you really need that huge top end is arguable.) and SRAM 12-speed, 11-speed, and 10-speed. The 1x drivetrains reviewed on these pages are specific to mountain bikes, with a couple of exceptions. You can have SRAM Eagle on your dropbar bike, but

SRAM NX Eagle SPEEDS: 12 CASSETTE: $100 DERAILER: $107 SHIFTER: $42

Look at that pie plate! You know when the lowest cog is bigger around than your brake rotors that you’ve got a nice low gear. The NX Eagle cassette has a smaller gear range than its pricier siblings — 454 percent versus 500 for the 10–50T cassettes — but the 11–50T cassette fits on a standard freehub body. The NX derailer has a nonadjustable clutch to keep the chain on, and instead of an on/off switch, it features SRAM’s genius Cage Lock. You push the cage forward and lock it into place, making wheel removal easier than ever. I wish every derailer manufacturer would license this design from SRAM. Aside from the cassette, the main differences between NX and the more expensive versions are materials and tolerances. The NX Eagle group served on everything from local NX has more plastic parts and doesn’t shift quite as crisply as overnights, singletrack missions, and even a week riding self- GX or higher, but the differences are academic. contained on the Great Divide route in Montana. I never once I used the NX Eagle group for a busy season of wished for a lower gear, and I can count on two fingers the bikepacking on my Surly Wednesday that I’d set up with 29+ times I thought the 10T cog on the more expensive cassettes wheels (look for a Road Test soon). It’s not a light bike, and would have been nice. Like the Shimano group, I found NX I didn’t hold back when packing it either. (I even strapped a Eagle easy to set up and keep in tune (SRAM includes a handy cooler to the front rack for a weekend trip.) Hence I made plastic guide to help you get the correct distance between good use of that giant 50T cog. With a 30T chainring and 29 the lower pulley and big cog), and I never dropped or broke a x 3.0in. tires, I had a low end of 18.3 gear inches, which was chain, or had any drivetrain issues whatsoever in the field. great for tractoring up steep, loose climbs. (Note that 29+ NX Eagle is simply an affordable, reliable drivetrain tires are very tall and therefore have a big effect on gearing. If with all the gears you’ll ever need, ready for any kind of you have an older mountain bike with 26in. wheels and, say, bikepacking mission. Whenever I’m asked to recommend 2.25in. tires, you’re looking at 15.9 gear inches with the same a wide-range 1x drivetrain, the answer’s always the same — 30T chainring.) NX Eagle.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 29 Microshift Advent SPEEDS: 9 CASSETTE: $40 DERAILER: $60 SHIFTER: $140 FOR DROPBAR ($25 FOR TRIGGER)

Microshift Advent is a bit of an outlier in this group in that dropbar, bar-end, and thumb shifters for the Advent derailer, so 1) it’s 9-speed, and 2) it has a smaller range. With an 11–42T regardless of the kind of bike you have, you can probably throw cassette, you’ve only got a range of 381 percent, which may or Advent on it. I opted for the dropbar brifters for the Gorilla may not be enough, depending on your gearing needs. On the Monsoon, and I was pleasantly surprised with the shift action. upside, Advent is very, very affordable. Like the Shimano and I did, however, run into trouble in the second-to-lowest gear, SRAM offerings, Advent has a clutch derailer and the cassette in which the cable’s barrel end would interfere with something fits on a standard freehub body. inside the brifter as the cylinder rotated into position. After an I used the Advent group exclusively on our All-City extended bout of exasperation, I finally emailed Microshift and Gorilla Monsoon project bike (Road Test, Aug./Sept. 2019). was told that the Advent shifter requires a Campagnolo shift Setup was a little trickier than what I’m used to from SRAM cable, which has a smaller, rounded end. I swapped out the and Shimano, but once I got there, the shifts were solid and shift cable and voilà! No more problems. direct, if lacking in the crispness and tactility of the other Advent’s affordability is perhaps most noticeable in its weight. manufacturers’ groups. Paired to a 34T chainring, I had a low The cassette is a bit heavy, but not much weightier than the NX end of 21.5 gear inches, which was plenty for riding local fire and XT cassettes. The derailer, however, with its steel cage, is roads, a bit of singletrack, and loaded overnights. so heavy you can feel the pull of its gravity. In another nod to The Shimano and SRAM groups are trigger-shifter only, cheapness, Advent’s shifting gets a bit wonky as it wears and but Advent doesn’t discriminate. Microshift offers trigger, goes out of tune. But hey, look at that price. What do you want?

30 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 THE CASE FOR 1x ON YOUR TOURING BIKE The drivetrains reviewed on these pages are admittedly dirt-focused bikepacking units. (In spite of its dropbar compatibility, Microshift markets Advent primarily as a mountain bike drivetrain.) But if you’re looking to simplify, modernize, or potentially lighten your dropbar touring rig, you shouldn’t dismiss them. The fact is, touring-specific triples are a dying breed, and, as Editor-in-Chief Alex Strickland found out with Shimano’s new gravel-specific GRX, doubles won’t quite 14 YEARS of TRIP get you there, at least not without some aftermarket PLANNING EXPERTISE modification. If you’re willing to give up a bit of top end ON THE — do you really need to pedal when you’re cruising down a mountain pass at 40 mph? — modern 1x drivetrains GREAT could be the solution. I could wax lyrical about the spiritual benefits of ALLEGHENY PASSAGE drivetrain simplicity — one derailer, one shifter, one 335 Miles of traffic-free trails chainring, one cable — but if the idea of tossing an connecting Pittsburgh, PA antiquated, tempestuous front derailer and its trio of to Washington, D.C. chainrings into the bin doesn’t appeal to you, maybe the numbers will. The Trek 520, updated for 2019, is about as modern as a classic touring bike can get. It has disc brakes, an aluminum fork, and, yes, a triple. A mix of Shimano Alivio and Sora, the 520 has 48/36/26T chainrings mated to an 11–36T cassette. On 700c x 38mm tires, this gives you a low end of 19.8 gear inches and a top end of 119.8. Can a 1x match that? The short answer is no, but let’s dig a little deeper. Let’s say a product manager at Trek got a wild hair and spec’d the 520 with NX Eagle. (As discussed above, the product manager would have to get creative to find a compatible dropbar shifter, but it could be done.) With the same tires and a 36T chainring, you’d have the same low end of 19.8 gear inches. Predictably, you’d lose a chunk of top end, with only 89.9 gear inches. If the product manager spec’d a GX Eagle cassette — requiring the XD freehub, as discussed — that little 10T cog would up your top end to 98.9 gear inches. That still seems like a big loss of top end, but like I asked above, are you really making use of that high gear? Another common complaint from 1x detractors is that of chain wear and breakage due to the more extreme chainline angles at either end of the cassette. On the face of it, this seems like a valid argument. Surely, putting that much lateral force on a chain will shear it Bike and Gear Rentals in half, right? Isn’t that why we’ve all been warned for Trip Packages - Lodging decades about the dangers of cross-chaining? Thing is, I haven’t broken a chain in years. I don’t weigh that much, Itineraries - Transportation but I’m pretty fit, I ride with heavy loads, and I’m much Just Show Up and Ride! more of a high-gear smasher than a low-gear spinner. Not only that, but I don’t know anyone who has broken a Give us a call or visit our site chain recently. Are our chains wearing out more quickly? to book your next adventure ! Maybe, but I haven’t had to replace a chain more than once a season, which is perfectly reasonable. phone: (412) 600-0675 Dan Meyer is the Deputy Editor of Adventure Cyclist. www.goldentrianglebike.com

31 good friend of mine from college was TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN ROUTE A getting married in AS ILLUSTRATED BY A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS DURING A TOUR OF THE STATE OF JEFFERSON southern Oregon. I figured if my partner Alena and I were going to take time off anyway, why not Just over the border in California, Alena descends into Seiad Valley. incorporate a bike trip? Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great track record when it came to building routes and planning trips. Our last two bike tours featured freezing temperatures, wood too wet to burn, irritable cows, and a surprise blizzard on a high mountain pass. This trip had to go well, otherwise I doubted that Alena would ever let me plan anything as elaborate as a child’s tea party.

BY DAN MEYER MAPS COURTESY OPENSTREETMAP

Tip #1: Check your route’s daily elevation gain the climb would be. It was a lot — 2,800 feet of climbing The first surprise was our ride out of suburbia and in less than 10 miles, and on loose gravel roads. It was also into rural Oregon: it was hilly. The initial 10 miles of our scorching, well into the triple digits, and every once in a weeklong trip were a bruiser, featuring punchy climbs while a car would pass, engulfing us in a cloud of hot dust. and grades approaching 20 percent. We were already Alena was not happy with me. We pushed up the steeper hills pushing our bikes. Luckily, we found a respite in the joyful and stopped in whatever shade we could find to eat snacks descent on Sterling Creek Road to Buncom, which to my and hydrate. At the top, the road intersected with the Pacific disappointment was not a rabbit community but a tiny Crest Trail. We exchanged friendly waves with a few people ghost town. While we ate snacks and peeked into the empty slinging on packs, but we didn’t have the energy to chat. structures at Buncom, an older couple parked nearby and began to pull their bikes off the rack. They were heading What I would do differently out for a day ride on the area’s quiet country roads, and Obviously, I should have paid much more attention to were impressed that we’d ridden from Medford. I didn’t tell elevation gain while putting the route together. In the them how far we had yet to go. future, I may consider looking primarily at elevation gain After 20 miles following the Applegate River, we crossed instead of mileage when splitting up a route. If I had done a bridge over the southern tip of Applegate Lake and turned that for this trip, I may have split our first day into two, onto a gravel road that would take us over the border into camping at Applegate Lake the first night and then riding California. I hadn’t bothered to look at how long or steep to Seiad Valley the next day.

32 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 DAY 1

After considering some options near Ashland, or simply piecing something together using Adventure Cycling’s Sierra-Cascades route, I decided on a loop of my own design. We would start near Medford, just north of Ashland on I-5, head southwest on backroads over the border to Seiad Valley, California, then west along the Klamath River to Happy Camp, north back over the border to Cave Junction, Oregon, east to the Oregon Caves National Monument, and northeast back to Medford. It was a Tour of the State of Jefferson [see p. 36]. What followed was an adventure in the very best sense. We faced minor crises (both natural and Dan-made), solved problems 4756.2 ft 4500 ft together, suffered together, and rode some 4000 ft 3500 ft amazing roads through beautiful, diverse 3000 ft landscapes. We witnessed the plight of rural 2500 ft 2000 ft America and met kind, helpful people in the 1500 ft 1321.9 ft same depressed towns. We barely scratched 0 mi 10 mi 20 mi 30 mi 40 mi 50 mi 60 mi 66.03 mi the surface of this part of the country. I would go back to Jefferson in a heartbeat. I was considering our options for getting back to Medford when we came to a roadblock. There were fire trucks and hoses everywhere. But it wasn’t a wildfire — a local told us that a transformer had blown and showered sparks onto an old, abandoned mill. It burned to a crisp in 15 minutes. The fire crew was just Tip #2: Check fire conditions cleaning up. But the road wasn’t open yet, and Alena and I were Finally, we began our descent. The road was loose, standing in the shade of a tree, trying to stay cool. We needed water. and I stopped often to make sure Alena was staying I approached one of the firefighters and told her of our rubber-side down. It was a long 12 miles. We dropped predicament. She walked to a truck and came back with bottles of more than 3,000 feet to the valley floor, where the ice-cold water. I could have hugged her. road became much smoother before transitioning to After another 15 or 20 minutes, they finally opened the road. pavement. It was cooler riding along Seiad Creek, but The local sheriff escorted us through the melee, weaving around still hot. I’d been out of water since the summit, and the fire trucks and over flat, yellow hoses. I gawked as we passed Alena only had a few drops left. the destruction. An old pickup behind the mill was nearly gone, its As we cruised down Seiad Creek Road, passing a few tires aflame. homes here and there, we rounded a corner and saw (and smelled) smoke downvalley. “Uh oh,” I thought. What I would do differently I knew there had been bad wildfires in the area the I checked InciWeb (inciweb.nwcg.gov) before the trip and previous year, but I’d assumed that we were early confirmed that nothing along our route was already on fire, but enough in the season to stay out of trouble. This was it was hot and dry enough that something very easily could have bad. Even if the fire was off our route, Alena has asthma gone up during our trip. If I were to do it again, I would start a and wouldn’t be able to ride in smoky conditions. few weeks earlier.

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ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 33 One of several picturesque hiking trails near Oregon Caves National Monument.

Tip #3: Ensure that roads and campgrounds are open campsite on our route between Happy Camp and Cave The plan for Day Two was for a fairly short, easy day. We Junction. We could have found a place along the pass to wild had a quick 15-mile ride from our campsite at Fort Goff to camp, but we weren’t sure about access to water. We decided Happy Camp, where we stopped for a second breakfast and a the best option was to make the big push up and over the few supplies. Out of Happy Camp, we climbed up Greyback pass and into Cave Junction, where we knew there would be Road (also known as Indian Creek Road), a scenic mountain camping and lodging options. pass that would eventually take us back into Oregon. Thirteen miles up the road, we turned off to West Branch Campground. What I would do differently We soon ran into a sign saying that the road was closed. In retrospect, I should have called the Forest Service We rolled past the sign a little ways to check it out and ranger station in Happy Camp and asked about road and discovered that the road had been completely washed out. campground conditions. Had I learned ahead of time that I was convinced that we could just hike-a-bike through the the road to West Branch was closed, cutting off access to washed-out section to the campground, but Alena wasn’t our campsite for the night, I would have thought differently having it. She used her veto power. about that day’s route. Doing that big pass in one day would We pondered our options. West Branch was the only have called for an earlier start and a hardier mindset.

34 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 DAY 2 THE STRESS OF DEVISING AN ALTERNATE PLAN AND THE SUFFERING WE ENDURED ON OUR WAY UP TO THE PASS ONLY ADDED TO THE SWEETNESS OF THE DESCENT.

Tip #4: Embrace plan B The road closure was a blessing in disguise. It turned out that our original plan for Day Two was too short — we would have spent all afternoon and evening at West Branch. What in the world would we have done with ourselves? Choosing to push all the way to Cave Junction more than doubled our day’s mileage, and we made the slog up and over the pass at the hottest part of the day. Not exactly ideal. But at least the traffic was light. We stopped at an overlook a mile short of the summit. There was a picnic table, three stands for interpretive panels that were no longer there, and bees, lots and lots of bees. We 4793.6 ft also had a grand, panoramic view of the Marble 4000 ft Mountains to the east. We were squarely in 3000 ft the State of Jefferson. That vista alone would 2000 ft have been worth the hot slog, but just over the 1105.3 ft summit, we had another surprise waiting for us. 0 mi 10 mi 20 mi 30 mi 40 mi 50 mi 56.758 mi After pausing across the Oregon border at the Page Mountain Sno-Park to use the facilities, DAY 3, PART 1 we got back on the road and were soon passed with friendly waves by a couple of motorcyclists, and then … nobody. We had the entire 12- mile descent into the Illinois River valley all to ourselves, a 3,200-foot drop with perfect pavement and fast, sweeping turns. It was hands down the best road descent of my life.

2947.5 ft What I would do differently 2800 ft

2600 ft Absolutely nothing. The stress of devising an 2400 ft 2200 ft alternate plan and the suffering we endured on our 2000 ft

1800 ft way up the pass — a 3,600-foot climb in 20 miles — 1600 ft

1400 ft only added to the sweetness of the descent. 1336.3 ft 0 mi 2 mi 4 mi 6 mi 8 mi 10 mi 12 mi 14 mi 16 mi 17.843 mi

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 35 State of Jefferson

In October 1941, in response to a perceived lack of representation in rural areas, the mayor of Port Orford, Oregon, called for several counties in southern Oregon and northern California to break away from their respective states and form a new one: the State of Jefferson, the 49th state. Jefferson’s elected representatives stood on the steps of the Siskiyou County Courthouse in November 1941 and declared independence. John Leon Childs was inaugurated as governor of the State of Jefferson on December 4. But Jefferson was never recognized by the federal government, and the independence movement died out after the Pearl Harbor bombing on December 7. Aside from a couple of minor attempts to restart the movement in 1971 and the early 1990s, the State of Jefferson remained an idea, part of the area’s culture. For example, the local public radio network is called Jefferson Public Radio. I later learned that part of our route was on the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway. The separatist movement lay dormant until 2013, when several Comfy, safe northern California county boards riding position with a great view of supervisors — including those (and no pain). Patented drive from Siskiyou, Modoc, and Yuba — system featuring the voted to separate from California best of traditional road bike technology. and form the State of Jefferson. No counties from Oregon have Rack options for hauling gear. yet joined the modern separatist movement. More recently, the State of Jefferson organization, filing under the name Citizens for Fair Representation, sued California’s secretary of state, arguing that California’s 1862 law limiting the state to 40 senators and 80 representatives Climb fast has resulted in an imbalance of with front representation that violates the wheel drive. 14th Amendment. Dismissed by the lower court, the case is Cushy suspension for Folding frame packs variable surfaces. down for travel. currently pending appeal in the Ninth Circuit. THE ULTIMATE Adventure Cyclist readers save $100 on bikes TOURING BIKE at cruzbike.com with code ADVENTURE

36 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 DAY 3, PART 2 — CAVES RIDE

Tip #5: Incorporate things to do for short days or layover days After a relaxing night in a wonderfully ratty motel in Cave Junction, Alena and I set off for a quick, 18- mile ride to Cave Creek Campground. The heat of the previous two days had worn us down a bit. To our delight, Cave Creek was just this side of a rain forest. The air was thick and cool, and there were ferns and broad-leafed bushes and other green things everywhere. Port Orford cedars towered over us. After picking a site and setting up camp, we rested for a bit, luxuriating in the lush atmosphere. Now this was how I’d imagined Oregon would be. Cave Creek was one of the loveliest campgrounds I’d ever seen. It was still early, so we explored one of the several hiking trails that branch out from the campground, 4000 ft craning our necks to view the trees above and 3800 ft crouching to inspect the fungus and critters below. 3600 ft 3400 ft

But the day’s primary goal was less than five miles up 3200 ft the road — the Oregon Caves National Monument. 3000 ft 2800 ft 2751.3 ft Oregon Caves has a visitor center, an ornate hotel 0 mi 1 mi 2 mi 3 mi 4 mi 4.525 mi if you prefer not to camp, and a couple of restaurants, DAY 4 including one that pretends it’s a ’50s diner. We shared a malt after our unloaded ride up from the campground. But the real treat is a tour of the caves. And if you do your homework ahead of time, you’ll learn that the last tour of the day is a candlelight tour. We were given lanterns (real ones, with candles), and we met our tour guide, a young park employee wearing old-timey clothes and a false beard. He told us he was Thomas Condon, a geology professor from the University of Oregon who visited the caves with his students in 1884. As he guided us through the caves — dark and cold and wet — he told us the 4704.4 ft 4000 ft story of how the caves were discovered and the first 3000 ft attempts to map them, never breaking character. It was adorable. Near the end of the tour, we stopped in 2000 ft 1183.4 ft a tight passage and Professor Condon instructed us to 0 mi 10 mi 20 mi 30 mi 40 mi 50 mi 52.518 mi blow out our candles one by one. As each candle was extinguished, the cave grew darker and darker, until DAY 5 we were engulfed in impenetrable darkness. Nobody said a word. It was eerie. The Professor then pulled out a lighter to relight our candles.

What I would do differently I would spend an extra day at Cave Creek Campground to explore more of the hiking trails and do more unloaded rides on the road to the caves. Caves Highway is a masterpiece — the pavement is flawless, traffic is light, and the descent from the visitor center is addicting. Running along a steep mountainside, the highway curves around several draws in half switchbacks, and preceding every steeply cambered switchback is a series of banked esses. Whoever designed this road is a genius. I fell into my sleeping bag that night still grinning from the descent. 3000 ft 2800 ft

2600 ft

2400 ft

2200 ft

2000 ft

1800 ft

1600 ft

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38 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 Tip #6: Choose terrain that your riding partner is comfortable with For Day Four, the plan was to backtrack a bit on Caves Highway and get on a Forest Service road that would eventually connect us to a tiny little town to the north called Williams, where we could resupply and have lunch before taking the fun way east back to the Applegate River. On satellite images, the Forest Service road looked like a nice, paved backroad that would see little if any traffic, and it was. Then we turned onto what looked like a short dirt road that would connect us to the BLM road into Williams. Unfortunately, the short connector road was not that short, and it quickly turned from dirt to gravel to rock. Not to mention it was 2,800 feet of climbing (see Tip #1). Thing is, I didn’t mind it at all. It was steep and rough, Alena descends the rough road to Seiad Valley, before the road closure. but I’m a mountain biker first and foremost, so I get along fine when the road surface degrades in quality. In fact, I road with surprise bumps and cracks and more blind, high- often prefer it. But Alena, being a road racer and still new to speed corners than I’d ever seen. It was a blast. mountain biking and gravel riding, doesn’t so much enjoy rough roads, at least not on a fully loaded dropbar rig. I could What I would do differently hear her cursing my name behind me. Trying to determine the quality of a road without seeing Then a momma bear and her cub crossed the road about it in person is tough. In retrospect, I could have checked 100 feet in front of us. So there’s that. cycling-specific social media for beta. Strava’s Heat Map and Things got a little better after a very steep, loose (and, Segment Explore functions are useful, as are Trailforks and honestly, frightening) descent, where we came upon a MTB Project. Of course, apps are only helpful if someone family fishing and picnicking at a pond. After exchanging has already ridden the road you’re researching and posted pleasantries, we continued on our way onto a narrow, paved information about it. That rough BLM road? Nada.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 39 At the overlook on Greyback Road, on the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway, Alena takes a break before the long descent to Cave Junction. (Yes, that’s a flip phone.)

Tip #7: Embrace the unknown (or get a paper map) Gazetteer and some Forest Service maps. They might not After stopping at the little convenience store in Williams have made a difference, but at least I’d have done all I could for a lunch of chocolate milk, chips, ice cream, and heaven short of driving the route ahead of time. knows what else, we headed south for Panther Gulch Road, which, aside from having the most badass road name ever, Tip #8: Enjoy it would take us into the next valley over. Or so I thought. Day Five was a good one. Out of Ruch, we rode to Buncom It was a hot, steep slog to the top of the road, and neither (again, no bunnies) and backtracked a little on Day One’s of us was in a good mood by the time we got there. What I route before turning onto Sterling Creek Road, which thought would have been a simple up-and-over affair became dropped 1,500 feet on a curvy paved road to the cute little more complicated when I realized that what we saw on town of Jacksonville. We went into the first coffee shop we the ground looked nothing like what I’d seen on any of my saw for caffeine and pastries, lingering at a table outside. I electronic resources. I was baffled at what to do. Another tally may or may not have taken a picture of my coffee to put on on my list of screw-ups this trip. social media. Luckily Alena knew that the simplest decision was the We enjoyed our last 10 miles on mostly flat, rolling terrain right one: we had to backtrack to Williams (downhill, alongside vineyards and ranches to Phoenix, where we’d thankfully) and get on the highway. I hate riding on the left our car. Lo and behold, it was still there! After packing highway, but it seemed like a small price to pay. I also everything haphazardly in the car, we drove to a cheap motel hated to reroute because it meant discarding my plan to in Medford for the night before setting off the next day to the get on Star Gulch Road, which would have taken us from Green Springs Inn outside of Ashland. My buddy’s wedding Thompson Creek valley to Applegate River valley, closing went off without a hitch. our loop with what looked to be a fantastic road. Oh, well. Next time. Epilogue Rerouting also meant finding another place to camp. We Despite a few minor issues, we declared our 2018 Tour of found a campground at Cantrall Buckley County Park, on the the State of Jefferson a success. The following year, Alena and Applegate River near the town of Ruch. Unfortunately, it was I planned a dirt-road bikepacking trip together. We drove from a circus, with noisy children everywhere. At least we got to our hometown of Missoula to Whitefish, Montana, and did use a real shower. the Red Meadow Pass Loop. With an audience of thousands of ravenous mosquitos, I proposed to her at Red Meadow Lake What I would do differently (a risky move with two more days of riding to go), and she said The Panther Gulch Road debacle really highlighted yes. What would I do differently? Not a damn thing. my weakness for the ease and ubiquity of free electronic resources [see p. 41]. I should have gotten my hands on a Dan Meyer is the Deputy Editor of Adventure Cyclist. He’s getting married in June.

40 ADVENTURE CYCLIST m a rch 2020 NUTS & BOLTS Apps When planning a route, I have a hierarchy of tools. Initially I’ll use good WHEN TO GO WHAT TO BRING ol’ Google Maps to explore the general This part of southern Oregon and northern Because of the mixed terrain on our tour, area I have in mind, keeping an eye California is a mix of dry, desertlike Alena and I brought our gravel bikes, which out for public lands, campgrounds, landscapes, lush forests, and everything in ended up being the right tool for the job. rivers and lakes, and interesting between. Spring and fall are the best times We both used bikepacking bags and carried roads. When I land on something to visit. Avoid summer due to the heat five days’ worth of supplies, which we later in particular — a campsite, a small and the chance of wildfires — during our decided wasn’t necessary considering the town, a squiggly road — I’ll zoom in visit in late June, we already were seeing resupply options. I had modified my bike with and check it out in as much detail temperatures over 100°F. lower gears and used wide, tubeless file tread as Google will allow. When I reach tires, and I was very happy with my setup Google’s limit of usefulness, I’ll move HOW TO GET THERE (with standard cyclocross gearing, Alena was on to another site: hillmap.com. Medford, Oregon, our jumping-off point for less than happy on the steep climbs). Hillmap’s standout feature is its this tour, is 272 miles from Portland and split-screen mode. You can have a 308 miles from Sacramento. The Medford WHERE TO STAY terrain map on one side and satellite airport is the third largest in Oregon and Camping is available at Applegate Lake, on the other, for example, and when serves Alaska Airlines, United, Delta, Fort Goff, Happy Camp, West Branch, Cave you scroll or zoom on one side, American, and Allegiant. Alena and I drove Junction, and on the way to Oregon Caves the other mirrors it. And there are with our bikes and gear from Missoula, National Monument. Lodging is available in options for what you can display: in Montana, taking the scenic route through Seiad Valley, Happy Camp, Cave Junction, addition to the standard map and Bend with a short detour to Crater Lake. Oregon Caves, and Applegate. We stayed in an satellite (both from Google), there’s Medford has a litany of hotels and a Airbnb in Phoenix, just south of Medford on I-5, CalTopo, ArcGIS USA, USGS, and handful of bike shops. the night before the tour and left our car there. others. You can also drop points, create a route, and add weather and slope overlays. If you’ve heard yourself say, “I’ve looked at this road on satellite images, and it definitely connects,” then Hillmap is for you. For this route, I created the final product with something different: I used Komoot. Komoot (komoot.com) is pretty neat in that you can create a route by plugging in a start/end point and adding waypoints, and the program will plot a route for you, including an elevation chart. Even better, you can choose whether you’ll be on a road bike, a touring bike, a mountain bike, or on foot, and Komoot will adjust your route to suit. But don’t feel like you need to go with the program’s routing — you can click and drag the route to adjust it however you want. Komoot does cost money — $3.99 per region, $8.99 for a bundle, or $29.99 for the whole shebang — for which you get voice navigation, offline maps, and free updates. I bought a couple of regions so I could have offline maps on my phone during the tour. But you can play with Komoot’s online route planner for free and determine whether you like the system.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG/MEMBERS 41